UFC vet Antoni Hardonk retires from MMA

The Dutch striker confirmed the plans with UFC.com while saying he plans to focus on coaching at his new gym in California.

He retires with an 8-6 pro MMA record and a 10-5 pro kickboxing record.

Hardonk concludes his UFC career with a 4-4 mark, including a three-fight win streak in 2008 that saw him post consecutive knockouts of Colin Robinson, Eddie Sanchez and Mike Wessel. In fact, every one of his UFC victories came via knockout.

But he suffered back-to-back losses in 2009 to Cheick Kongo and Pat Barry (in a “Fight of the Night” performance), which resulted in him taking a hiatus.

During his time off, the 35-year-old opened Dynamix Martial Arts in Santa Monica, Calif. He now trains the likes of Vladimir Matyushenko, Jared Hamman and Stefan Struve at the facility. The commitment ultimately forced the end of his own fighting career.

“Fighting is a full-time job,” he stated. “It’s not something you can do on the side, and I didn’t want to do things halfway. I didn’t want to run my gym halfway, and I didn’t want to train for a fight halfway. … (I) decided that I love teaching and coaching. It’s something that I’d like to focus on now and in the future.”

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.